Insurance group: Cell phone bans not effective in reducing crashes

As much as many drivers don’t want to admit it, cell phones and mobile devices are, in fact, a distraction – but do state bans on cell phones while driving actually work? Apparently not, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The institute studied data from states that had a ban on cell phones while driving and those that did not and, surprisingly, it turned out that crash rates were not decreasing in states that have imposed a ban on cell phones. In fact, IIHS says that cell phones aren’t even the problem.

IIHS spokesman Russ Rader told CNN Money: “Part of it is that distracted driving is much bigger than just phones,” he said “so focusing on phones doesn’t deal with the full spectrum of things that distract.”

That isn’t to say that IIHS doesn’t think that driving while using your cell phone isn’t dangerous, however; the group cited a NHTSA study that indicated car crashes as a result of distracted driving – people chatting on cell phones, texting, etc. – caused 3,000 fatalities last year.

“What we know is that the best course of action is a three pronged approach — strong laws, strong education and strong enforcement,” NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel told CNN Money.